Maida's Skinny Whipped Cream

When I was just starting to put some ideas together for recipes that I wanted to be included in this book, I had a conversation about lightened whipped cream with my friend and mentor Maida Heatter. She suggested that I try a recipe of hers called Cream Ooh-La-La, which she uses to top strawberries macerated with sugar and Grand Marnier, in Maida Heatter's Best Dessert Book Ever (Random House, 1990). It's basically sweetened whipped cream with the addition of some sour cream and whipped egg whites. I've transformed it a little by substituting reduced-fat sour cream and a cooked meringue. This results in a whipped cream with overtones of crème fraîhe and an exquisite lightness.

Ingredients

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Preparation

2 Whip the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks, either by hand or by machine.

3 For the meringue, half fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat so that the water boils gently.

4 Combine the egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer and place over the pan of simmering water. Whisk gently until the egg whites are hot and the sugar is dissolved. Whip by machine with the whisk attachment on medium speed until the meringue is risen in volume and cooled. Be careful not to overwhip or the meringue may become grainy.

5 Test the meringue with a fingertip to see if it is still warm. If the meringue is well risen in volume before it has cooled to room temperature, remove the bowl from the mixer and set it in a bowl of cold tap water. Use a large rubber spatula to stir the meringue over the cold water until it is cool when you test it with a fingertip.

6 Quickly whisk the cream again if it has become separated and whisk in the sour cream. Use a large rubber spatula to fold in the meringue.

Serving:

Use this with any dessert that's crying out for a spoonful of whipped cream.

Storage:

If you prepare the cream in advance, scrape it into a shallow bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Keep the cream refrigerated for no more than a couple of hours or it will separate.